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For many, no drink is more synonymous with good health […]
For many, no drink is more synonymous with good health than GUNPOWDER 3505 AAA, the ancient Chinese beverage known for its soothing aroma and abundance of antioxidants. By some estimates, Americans drink nearly 10 billion servings of green tea each year.
But a new report by an independent laboratory shows that green tea can vary widely from one cup to the next. Some bottled varieties appear to be little more than sugar water, containing little of the antioxidants that have given the beverage its good name. And some green tea leaves, particularly those from China, are contaminated with lead, though the metal does not appear to leach out during the brewing process.
The report was published this week by ConsumerLab.com, an independent site that tests health products of all kinds. The company, which had previously tested a variety of green tea supplements typically found in health food stores, took a close look at brewed and bottled green tea products, a segment that has grown rapidly since the 1990s.
It found that green tea brewed from loose tea leaves was perhaps the best and most potent source of antioxidants like epigallocatechin gallate, or EGCG, though plain and simple tea bags made by Lipton and Bigelow were the most cost-efficient source. Green tea's popularity has been fueled in part by a barrage of research linking EGCG to benefits like weight loss to cancer prevention, but the evidence comes largely from test tube studies, research on animals and large population studies, none of it very rigorous, and researchers could not rule out the contribution of other healthy behaviors that tend to cluster together.
Green tea is one of the most popular varieties of tea in the United States, second only to black tea, which is made from the leaves of the same plant. EGCG belongs to a group of antioxidant compounds called catechins that are also found in fruits, vegetables, wine and cocoa.
The new research was carried out in several phases. In one, researchers tested four brands of green tea beverages sold in stores. One variety, Diet Snapple Green Tea, contained almost no EGCG. Another bottled brand, Honest Tea's Green Tea With Honey, claimed to carry 190 milligrams of catechins, but the report found that it contained only about 60 percent of that figure. The drink also contained 70 milligrams of caffeine, about two-thirds the amount in a regular cup of coffee, as well as 18 grams of sugar, about half the amount found in a can of Sprite.
Another phase of the study looked at green tea in its more natural forms – loose tea leaves sold by Teavana and tea bags sold by companies like Bigelow and Lipton. A single serving of Teavana's Gyokuro green tea, about one teaspoonful, was chock-full of antioxidants, yielding about 250 milligrams of catechins, a third of which were EGCG. It also contained 86 milligrams of caffeine, slightly less than a regular cup of coffee.
A single bag of the green tea sold by Lipton and Bigelow contained somewhat smaller amounts of antioxidants than Teavana's green tea and generally minimal amounts of caffeine. But Teavana's recommended serving size was large, and the tea was also far more expensive, resulting in a higher cost per serving. The report calculated that the cost to obtain 200 milligrams of EGCG ranged from 27 cents to 60 cents with the tea bags, and $2.18 with the Teavana loose tea leaves.
But the most surprising phase of the study was an analysis of the lead content in the green tea leaves. The leaves in the Lipton and Bigelow tea bags contained 1.25 to 2.5 micrograms of lead per serving. The leaves from Teavana, however, did not contain measurable amounts.
"Lead can occur in many botanical products because it is taken up from the ground," said Dr. Tod Cooperman, president of ConsumerLab.com. "The green tea plant is known to absorb lead at a higher rate than other plants from the environment, and lead also can build up on the surface of the leaves."
Dr. Cooperman said the tea leaves containing lead probably originated in China, where studies have found that industrial pollution causes the leaves in some regions to gather substantial amounts of lead. The Teavana leaves came from Japan, where that is less of a problem, he said. The decaffeination process also helps remove lead.
Still, the study found that there was no real prospect of a health concern from the lead. The liquid portions of the teas that were brewed and tested contained very little if any of the metal, Dr. Cooperman said.
"The majority of the lead is staying with the leaf," he said. "If you're brewing it with a tea bag, the tea bag is very effectively filtering out most of the lead by keeping those tea leaves inside the bag. So it's fine as long as you're not eating the leaves."


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Kent Beck
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Kent Beck (born 1961) is an American software engineer and the creator of the Extreme Programming and Test Driven Development software development methodologies, also named agile software development. Beck was one of the 17 original signatories of the Agile Manifesto in 2001.
- I always knew that one day Smalltalk would replace Java. I just didn't know it would be called Ruby.
- Kent Beck As cited in: Giles Bowkett (2007) "Smalltalk, Outside The Ivory Tower?". at Giles Bowkett.blogspot.com July 15, 2007
- I'm not a great programmer; I'm just a good programmer with great habits.
- Kent Beck in: Martin Fowler, Kent Beck, John Brant (2012) Refactoring: Improving the Design of Existing Code.
Refactoring: Improving the Design of Existing Code, 1999[edit]
Martin Fowler, Kent Beck, John Brant, William Opdyke, and Don Roberts (1999) Refactoring: Improving the Design of Existing Code. Addison-Wesley.
- When you find you have to add a feature to a program, and the program's code is not structured in a convenient way to add the feature, first refactor the program to make it easy to add the feature, then add the feature.
- p. 7
- Any fool can write code that a computer can understand. Good programmers write code that humans can understand.
- p. 15
- Refactoring (noun) : a change made to the internal structure of software to make it easier to understand and cheaper to modify without changing the observable behavior of the software.
To refactor (verb) : to restructure software by applying a series of refactorings without changing the observable behavior of the software.- p. 33-43 as cited in: Militiadis Lytras, Patricia Ordóñez de Pablos, Ernesto Damiani (2011) Semantic Web Personalization and Context Awareness. p. 111
- Often you'll see the same three or four data items together in lots of places: fields in a couple of classes, parameters in many method signatures. Bunches of data that hang around together really ought to be made into their own object.
- p. 81
- When you feel the need to write a comment, first try to refactor the code so that any comment becomes superfluous.
- p. 88
- The key is to test the areas that you are most worried about going wrong. That way you get the most benefit for your testing effort. It is better to write and run incomplete tests than not to run complete tests
- p. 98.
Extreme Programming Explained (2000)[edit]
Kent Beck (2000) Extreme programming explained: embrace change ISBN 9780201616415
- The new concept of Extreme Programming (XP) is gaining more and more acceptance, partially because it is controversial, but primarily because it is particularly well-suited to help the small software development team succeed... XP is controversial, many software development sacred cows don't make the cut in XP; it forces practitioners to take a fresh look at how software is developed.
- Abstract
- The business changes. The technology changes. The team changes. The team members change. The problem isn't change, per se, because change is going to happen; the problem, rather, is the inability to cope with change when it comes.
- p. 28
- Optimism is an occupational hazard of programming: feedback is the treatment.
- p. 31
About Kent Beck[edit]
- In the months before I made wiki, we had been having an argument. I think Kent Beck and I were on one side. People who had a lot of faith in the prevailing dogma of software engineering were on the other side. We said, "Collective code ownership is good." They said, "That's ridiculous. You'll never get responsibility. You'll never get quality if you don't have responsibility. And the only way you'll get responsibility is ownership. You have to pin the bugs back on somebody if you want them to ever rise above producing bugs." And I said, "Well that's wrong."

subset: commoncrawl


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Working as a writer often feels like walking up to a very thick, resilient brick wall, shaking its hand and saying, "Hi, nice to meet you, I follow you on Twitter," and then smashing your face into it over and over and over again until one brick from the wall gently tumbles out. You do this forever and then maybe one day you start teaching budding writers to do the same. I don't know why any of us write; it is a terrible sickness.
So it's always frustrating when someone else writes something that you know is either poorly written, or is based in some specious, ridiculous argument. This week, Hal Niedzviecki resigned as the editor of The Writers' Union of Canada's magazine after he wrote a piece called "Winning the Appropriation Prize." He said he didn't believe in cultural appropriation, that writers "should be encouraged to imagine other peoples, other cultures, other identities." He encouraged readers to "win the Appropriation Prize." This all in an issue that was dedicated to Indigenous writing — the editor undercut his own publication's efforts to highlight Indigenous writers by mocking their very real concerns and contributions.
Naturally, a fraction of the already fragmented (and remarkably small) Canadian media landscape looked at the objections to his column and his subsequent resignation as PC culture gone wrong, or an example of how free speech is being eroded in Canada. (None of them, however, said as much when former Toronto Star columnist Desmond Cole left his position after being told by Star brass that he couldn't be an op-ed writer and an activist.)
In response, at around midnight on Twitter, a group of white editors, executives, and longtime columnists for some of Canada's largest mainstream publications started collecting money for an "Appropriation Prize" similar to what Niedzviecki suggested in his piece. Ken Whyte, formerly the president of Rogers Publishing, started it off with $500. Anne Marie Owens (editor in chief of the National Post), Alison Uncles (editor in chief of Maclean's magazine), Steve Ladurantaye (managing editor of CBC News), Steve Maich (head of digital content and publishing for Rogers Media), Scott Feschuk (Maclean's columnist), and Christie Blatchford (National Post columnist), amongst others, all volunteered to fork over hundreds of dollars for a prize that would reward people for culturally appropriating in their work. Walrus editor Jon Kay didn't offer money but retweeted Whyte's call and objected to Niedzviecki's resignation.
See? Free speech!
I can't believe I have to fucking say this, but no one, in the history of writing books, has ever suggested that white people are not allowed to write thoughtful portrayals of Indigenous people or people of colour, namely in fiction. Frankly, we encourage it. But remember how fucking mad all of you got when you found out there'd be a black Stormtrooper in Star Wars? Remember when some of you got hot over the suggestion that Santa Claus, a literal figment of children's imaginations, could be black?
Promoting the work of white writers who use another culture for profit isn't trying. It's meeting the laziest kind of diversity metric, one that doesn't actually shift power balances or change the status quo. Abstaining from cultural appropriation wouldn't stop you from writing thoughtfully about people who aren't white. It does, however, stop you from ripping off people of colour, or pretending like you understand their stories intimately. It does preclude you from taking a culture that was never yours to begin with — a culture that might have made the lives of the people born with it harder in white Canada, or might mean they don't get the same opportunities and privileges — and turning a profit.
Canada publishes a laughably low number of books by people of colour, namely black and Indigenous writers, and the discrepancy is just as bad in journalism. You don't get to check off a box for diversity for allowing your white writers to invent the lives of POC people. That's not enough. You have to actually find people who write and speak and live from different perspectives, and promote them. And pay them, because historically and currently, they're not getting work, and they're not getting money. White writers using their very histories and cultures, naturally, get their dues.
Did these prominent Canadian journalists and media executives think we wouldn't see it? Twitter is public! It's public!!!!
It was such a warped blessing to watch the conversations unfold, in real time, on a public platform. Writers are already insecure people — about their work, their connections, their personal interactions. Writers of colour are often told to chalk it up to paranoia. But we know this is how white editors sometimes talk about us, that we're aggressive, or irrational, that we ask for too much or we're SJWs trying to maintain PC cultures. (Mostly a lot of acronyms, I guess.) This Twitter thread, though possibly glib, told all of us that we were right the whole time: They do talk about us like this when we're not listening. They don't give a shit. They'll ask about how to hire diverse voices all the time, they'll jump on one of the very few black columnists in the country when he becomes available for freelance work, but when you're not looking, they'll put you last — and fall over themselves to fund a cultural appropriation prize. What do they say when we can't see them?
The conversation was so nakedly cruel, with no shred of possible empathy for people who are really struggling to get their work read, recognized, and appreciated not only by an audience, but by these exact editors who act as gatekeepers to said audience. Even more egregious is that this whole argument was rooted in appropriation of Indigenous voices and stories, people who we've taken so much from already. Physical space, safety, bodies, culture — we can't even let them tell their own stories in an issue of a magazine dedicated to their narratives without undercutting them first.
How are we supposed to write for you when you talk about us like this? Writing for an editor is already such a fraught process; it requires a lot of trust, emotionally and editorially, on both sides. Actively dismissing the concerns of people of colour — who you need for your businesses to survive — is foolish on so many levels, the least of which being that writers just won't trust you with their work.
But most importantly, the starkest element of this was how ready they were to throw money around. Money that we've never seen get publicly tossed around to promote actual diversity in media. Money that they were giving up from their personal accounts; they were willing to publicly pledge $300 or $500 individually for a prize that celebrates whiteness.
It's morning now, so some apologies have started to drip in, mostly saying sorry for "glibness," retracting their offers. Poorly-timed jokes are glib. An eye-roll, that's glib. Suggesting that you'd give real money from your pocket for an Appropriation Prize, that's not glib. That just tells me you slipped. You forgot that we could see you, that now we have in writing how little our work matters, how our feelings don't count at all. But good, I'm glad we know that it's somehow easier for them to part with their money for a joke than it is to give it to the voices who need it most.
Jon Kay, the editor of The Walrus, retweeted Ken Whyte's call and objected to Hal Niedzviecki's resignation. This post incorrectly said he pledged money to the prize.


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People say they like Newt Gingrich because he fights even if he doesn't always win, which reminds me of Abraham Lincoln's assessment of Ulysses Grant as commander of the Union army in the Civil War. (Say, this historian stuff is catching, isn't it?) Mitt Romney wants to show people that he can fight with a little passion, too. In a press avail in Florida, Romney went back on the attack against Gingrich, demanding once again that the former Speaker put his money where his mouth used to be on Freddie Mac (via Greg Hengler):
He said, in a debate actually, that people who profited from the failed model of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae ought to give back their money. Well, the Speaker made 1.7 million dollars in his enterprises from providing services to Freddie Mac. He ought to give it back.
At this late date, it's hard to remember what came first: the Freddie or the Bain. It was Newt's attack on Bain, but not by much, as Romney immediately went after Gingrich on the contract with Freddie and Gingrich's Tiffany credit line. Neither attack should put either candidate in a very good light with conservatives; both play on the kind of class warfare that Republicans usually deride, and which Democrats use much more effectively in any case. It's a measure of the hardball that both will play in Florida, which both need to put together an argument for long-term support in the primaries.
Romney is also on the attack on Gingrich's record as Speaker, calling his record a "disgrace" and not an example of "successful leadership":
Mitt Romney landed here Sunday with a simple message: Newt Gingrich is a failure and a fraud. And a disgrace. And a hapless showman.
Standing under a brilliant orange Florida sunset, Romney delivered his longest sustained critique of the South Carolina primary winner to date — ticking through a list as if he were reading off Gingrich's Wikipedia page, and undercutting each item as he got to it.
"Speaker Gingrich has also been a leader," the former Massachusetts governor said. "He was a leader for four years as speaker of the House. And at the end of four years, it was proven that he was a failed leader and he had to resign in disgrace. I don't know whether you knew that, he actually resigned after four years, in disgrace.
Romney continued: "He was investigated over an ethics panel and had to make a payment associated with that and then his fellow Republicans, 88 percent of his Republicans voted to reprimand Speaker Gingrich. He has not had a record of successful leadership."
Then Romney got into Gingrich's post-congressional career.
"Over the last 15 years since he left the House, he talks about great bold movements and ideas," he told the crowd of several hundred people gathered at a building materials company here. "Well, what's he been doing for 15 years? He's been working as a lobbyist, yeah, he's been working as a lobbyist and selling influence around Washington."
Well, no one can accuse Romney of not demonstrating an attack offense on the campaign trail.
Gingrich learned faster than Romney on the need to quickly defuse a meme. Earlier today, the winner of South Carolina says he wants to have his contract with Freddie Mac fully released so that voters can judge for themselves what he did for the GSE:
Newt Gingrich said on Monday that he has requested the release of his consulting contract with Freddie Mac, adding that it would be "very helpful" if the release came before next week's Florida primary contest.
Asked if he will release the consulting contract between his former company, the Center for Health Transformation, and Freddie Mac, Gingrich told ABC News' George Stephanopoulos: "We asked them to work out releasing it. They have a number of confidentiality agreements. I'm very comfortable with it being released."
"I think it would be very helpful," Gingrich said, when asked if he would like the release to occur before the primary.
Presumably, Freddie Mac won't have an issue with it, since the amount of Gingrich's fees have already been revealed. The confidentiality agreements probably have more to do with proprietary information that wouldn't have to be released with the contract, and getting Gingrich's approval for transparency should allow Freddie Mac to have those contracts in the hands of the media, perhaps early enough so that Florida voters can read them. However, even if Freddie refuses or drags their heels, Gingrich has already checked Romney's attack. By volunteering his approval for release, Gingrich has sent the message that there isn't anything in the contract that will embarrass him or Republicans, even if it does remind people that he performed some kind of work for Freddie Mac while it was setting itself up for a collapse.
As for returning the money, it won't happen, nor should it, if Gingrich and his firm delivered the promised services for which he was to be compensated. But perhaps Gingrich should have kept that in mind before shooting off his own mouth a couple of years ago about others like him who made money from relationships with Freddie Mac.


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Product GroupsBauteile (Kabel, Steckverbindungen, Anschlussdosen etc.), Materialien und Zubehör
The smarter E Podcast Episode 167 | Language: English
February 22, 2024
We talk about the Energy Transition and its Social Acceptance in the latest episode with Antonella Battaglini, the CEO of the Renewables Grid Initiative-RGI.
April 9, 2024
Energy communities, through which citizens can jointly own, democratically control, and self-consume local energy, are increasingly emerging.
The smarter E Podcast Episode 165 | Language: English
February 8, 2024
We spoke with our expertes Julia Souder and Alan Greenshields about LDES and the latest developments and market potentials.
The smarter E Podcast Episode 164 | Language: English
February 1, 2024
We spoke to Christoph Strasser, CEO of MaxSolar GmbH, the company behind the project, to find out how sector coupling works.
August 19, 2022
Presentation of the numerous legislative changes made in the latest legislative package and outlook on further government plans.
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Xbox LIVE Block Party details and dates
Earlier this month at the X10 Media event, we announced the upcoming Xbox LIVE Arcade Block Party* promotion. Today we're announcing additional promotion details and the release schedule1
March 3rd: Toy Soldiers -1200 points
March 10: Scrap Metal – 1200 points
March 17: Perfect Dark – 800 points
March 24: Game Room – Free to download. Individual games will cost 240 to 400 points
Plus: When you purchase all three Block Party titles and download the free Game Room app you'll receive 400 Microsoft Points back to your account**! And if you're an Xbox LIVE Gold Members you'll also get an extra month of Gold absolutely free**!
And from Noon ET Friday, March 26, – Noon ET Monday, March 29 Block Party is making it easy for you to play together with an Xbox LIVE Multiplayer Unlock weekend! For this weekend only, we're unlocking the online multiplayer features of all Block Party titles for Xbox LIVE Silver Members to play for free (games sold separately).
1This is the current release schedule for Block Party titles. As with everything game release related, dates are subject to change.
*Depending on your region, you may see this promotion called House party. The above information applies.
Purchase all 3 games: Toy Soldiers, Scrap Metal, Perfect Dark, & download the free Game Room app before March 31, 2010 11:59pm EST, and receive 400 Microsoft Points – FREE! As a bonus, all current Gold members as of April 30, 2010 that fulfill this offer will also receive 1 month of Gold for FREE! Limit one (1) of each gift per person. To qualify for your gift, you must purchase all three (3) games from Xbox LIVE Arcade and download the free Game Room app using your Xbox LIVE account, by March 31, 2010 11:59 EST. To qualify for the bonus month of Gold, you must have a current Gold account (sold separately) as of April 30,2010. The free Points and 1 month of Gold will automatically be deposited into your Xbox LIVE account after the end of the promotion period. Please allow 4 weeks for delivery – on or around April 30, 2010. Offer available only to legal residents, age 13 plus, of all countries that support Xbox LIVE, while supplies last, is non-transferable, not redeemable for cash, and cannot be combined with any other rebate or offer. Taxes, if any, are the sole responsibility of the recipient. Broadband internet required for Xbox LIVE; for terms of use and system requirements see www.xbox.com/live.


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George P. Landow. [You may use this image without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the photographer and (2) link your document to this URL in a web document or cite the Victorian Web in a print one.]
. Designed by Théodore Ballu (1817-85). 1863-68. 71, boulevard Voltaire, Paris, France. Photograph 2008 and text byOther Views
- Three-quarter view from right
- Three-quarter view from left
- Façade
- Altar
- Columns in nave
- Organ loft and front entrance
"Église Saint-Ambroise." Wikipedia. Viewed 8 July 2009.
Last modified 8 July 2009


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Follow on Google News | Allentown PA Volvo Dealer Announces Volvo V60 Plug-in HybridThe Volvo V60 Plug-in Hybrid includes a systematic approach to all safety aspects related to battery power. Scott Volvo of Allentown PA is pleased to see the level of safety in this new efficient Volvo model.
By: Scott Volvo The basic perspective is that the battery-powered Volvo must be as safe as any other new Volvo car - when it comes to owning and driving and also in the event of an accident. "We apply the same high safety standards to all our products but the safety-related challenges may differ depending on the driveline and fuel being used. To us, electrification technology is another exciting challenge in our quest to build the safest cars on the market," says Jan Ivarsson, Senior Manager Safety Strategy & Requirements at Volvo Cars. He adds: "It is understandable that a lot of questions about electrification safety are related to what will happen in an accident but it is important to have a holistic approach including all the aspects of day-to-day usage of the car." Monitoring and encapsulation Volvo Cars is currently conducting wide-ranging and thorough analysis of a variety of safety scenarios for cars with electric power. Through advanced automatic monitoring of battery status and by encapsulating the battery and protecting it effectively in a collision, the result is a world-class safety level. "A holistic human centre approach and real-life traffic conditions are always the starting-point for our safety work. Based on our massive database with input from actual road incidents and accidents, we know where the focus must lie in everyday traffic conditions. The solutions we have developed for the V60 Plug-in Hybrid take into account the situations that are unique to this type of car," says Jan Ivarsson. Everything from the way the car is produced, used and serviced to the way they are recycled is analysed thoroughly and the information obtained is used to shape the development of the production car, which will be introduced in 2012. Comprehensive testing under way - and there's more on the way Volvo's safety tests take place in several different stages: at component level, for whole systems and the complete car is safety-tested virtually in the computer, and physically in Volvo Cars' technically advanced crash-test centre. "We have carried out full-scale crash tests with different load cases, such as frontal collision, rear and side collisions to confirm that the battery technology fulfils our safety requirements," Know-how from actual traffic Volvo Cars is using its unique know-how from actual traffic conditions to carry out detailed testing and verification. This test procedure also includes the general requirements and protocols of the industry's safety institutes. When Volvo Cars analyses traffic situations from a safety perspective, the engineers use a model that illustrates the sequence of events during the whole driving phase. The process is divided into five phases: from the normal driving situation to after the accident has occurred. Based on these five phases, Volvo develops new safety solutions and improves existing ones. Unique solutions for electric cars All safety systems in the Volvo V60 will also be available in the plug-in hybrid version. However, electric power also adds new possible safety scenarios to the overall picture and these too must be dealt with. Volvo's safety experts have meticulously analysed the five accident sequence phases and developed unique solutions for the battery and for protection of the occupants as necessary. 1. Normal driving: A comprehensive and advanced monitoring system keeps watch and ensures that each cell maintains the correct voltage level and optimal operating temperature by regulating the cooling system. This is of significance to both safety and battery capacity. In the event of any deviation, the battery is automatically shut down as a preventive measure. 2. Conflict: The battery adds weight that can create new conditions for the vehicle's dynamics and alter the car's behaviour, for instance in fast avoidance manoeuvres. The Volvo V60 braking system can handle the increased mass, and DSTC (Dynamic Stability and Traction Control) helps the driver contain the situation. 3. Avoidance: If a frontal collision is imminent and the driver is acting too late to brake the car, the V60 Plug-in Hybrid can activate automatic systems such as Collision Warning with Full Auto Brake and City Safety to help avoid or reduce the effects of an collision. 4. Collision: In order to reduce the effects of a collision, the battery package is well protected and separated from the car's crumple zones and the occupants' compartment. The battery is also sturdily encapsulated. Steel beams and other parts of the structure around the battery are reinforced to help protect it from being affected in a collision. If the battery is damaged, resulting in gas leakage, there are special evacuation ducts that lead the gas out under the car. In the event of extreme heat, the occupants are shielded by the battery's encapsulation. At the very moment of collision, crash sensors linked to the battery send information about the collision to the car's computer, which automatically shuts off the power supply to reduce the risk of a short-circuit. 5. After the collision: The battery has a security cut-out that functions like a household earth fault circuit breaker. It shuts down and isolates the battery if the current travels in the wrong direction, for instance if two cables are pressed together as a result of an accident. Volvo also works together with the emergency rescue services, providing them with detailed instructions on how best to handle various Volvo models in the event of an accident. Safety when servicing and recycling The Volvo V60 Plug-in Hybrid is equipped with a service cut-out to quickly and safely disconnect the vehicle's power supply. Volvo Cars and the battery manufacturers have far-reaching product responsibility as regards both production and recycling. This ensures proper handling of the battery when it comes to the end of its life in the car. Scott Volvo is part of the Scott Family of Dealerships in Allentown PA. Visit Scott Volvo online at http://scottcars.com. # # # Scott Cars is located in Allentown PA and sells a large selection of Mazda, Volvo, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and preowned vehicles. End
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Great Northwest Wine: Rhône influence boosts red blends
One of the hottest categories in Northwest wine is red blends. And red blends made in the style of France's Rhône Valley are among the most fascinating.
Referred to as "GSM" blends, the wines are most often made with the red Rhône grapes and mourvèdre, though they also can include cinsault, counoise, carignan and petite sirah.
In the spring issue of Wine Press Northwest magazine, we take a look at a variety of red Rhône varieties, particularly GSM-style blends. These are among the best examples we tasted during a blind judging for the publication. These wines are made in small amounts, so check with your favorite wine merchant or contact the wineries directly.
• Alexandria Nicole Cellars 2011 Members Only , Horse Heaven Hills, $42: This small-production wine from a top Yakima Valley winery is a blend of grenache (57 percent), syrah and mourvèdre using grapes from the estate Destiny Ridge Vineyard. It opens with aromas of blueberry, cherry and vanilla, followed by flavors of huckleberry, cherry, chocolate and blueberry. It's all backed with plush tannins and beautiful integration and balance.
• Icon Cellars 2011 du Pape , Columbia Valley, $27: This small winery in the western Cascade Mountains town of Carnation, Wash., is crafting superb wines. This is a blend of grenache (54 percent), syrah and mourvèdre that opens with aromas of dense, dark fruit, ripe strawberry and plum, followed by rich flavors of ripe black fruit backed with mild tannins, elegant acidity and beautiful depth.
• Efeste 2011 Emmy , Wahluke Slope, $45: Efeste has quickly become an iconic winery in Woodinville, Wash., and this mourvèdre-based blend only heightens its status with wine lovers and collectors. This gorgeous wine reveals aromas of fresh-ground coffee, exotic spices, red plum and strawberry. A rich, dense entry leads to a core of ripe plum and blackberry. This is a thick, focused red wine.
• Upland Estates Winery 2011 Julian , Snipes Mountain, $28: Third-generation grape grower Todd Newhouse and winemaker Robert Smasne combine on this blend that is an even split between grenache and mourvèdre, with 20 percent syrah to balance it out. The wine is named in honor of Julian Steenbergen, who made wine on Snipes Mountain in the 1950s. This reveals exotic aromas of violet, lilac, rose petal and black cherry, and transitions into rich flavors of vanilla, boysenberry and pomegranate.
• Bunnell Family Cellar 2008 Lia , Columbia Valley, $34: Former Chateau Ste. Michelle head winemaker Ron Bunnell is a master with Rhône varieties. He crafted this blend of four grapes: Mourvèdre, grenache, counoise and syrah. The result is a stylish red with aromas of anise, dusty cherry, French vanilla and cherry, followed by textured flavors of blackberry and ripe plum.
• 3 Horse Ranch Vineyards 2011 Reserve Syrah-Mourvèdre , Snake River Valley, $26: Based in tiny Eagle, Idaho, just north of Boise, 3 Horse Ranch grows organic grapes for its wines. This is a syrah-heavy blend that begins with aromas of smoky bacon, dusty plum and minerality, followed by elegant flavors of blackberry, blueberry and huckleberry, all backed with bright acidity and modest tannins.
• Kana Winery 2009 Dark Star , Columbia Valley, $22: Dark Star is a Syrah-leading blend that includes mourvèdre and grenache and reveals with aromas of vanilla, black cherry and chalkboard dust, followed by backed of blackberry, bacon and spices. It's a gorgeous wine made by this Yakima winery.
• Doyenne 2011 Métier , Red Mountain, $44: This label for highly regarded DeLille Cellars in Woodinville, Wash., is a blend of nearly equal parts grenache, mourvèdre and syrah. It opens with aromas of strawberry and light cherry, followed by elegant flavors of pomegranate and ripe cherry. The moderate tannins lift up undertones of the ripe fruit in this powerful yet refined red.


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In her memoir, The Butterfly Mosque, American journalist and graphic novelist G. Willow Wilson described her move to Cairo after college, meeting her future husband, converting to Islam, and learning to acclimate to a Muslim culture very different from the secular one she'd grown up in. She turns to fiction with Alif the Unseen, her debut novel.
In a lot of your work, you discuss the clash between East and West. How has living in both cultures influenced your writing?
In some ways, it was a curse to be able to see both sides of the equation in terms of East versus West, Islam versus America. It forced me to walk a very fine line in order to balance the two perspectives. Americans look at the Middle East as a source of trauma because of 9/11. At the same time, I could see the fear going on in the Middle East as well—which would be the next country to be invaded or sanctioned? Being around those tensions was traumatic for me. But that tension honed my sense of compassion both for the reader and the subject, especially because they were two diametrically opposed groups.
How has your perspective changed over time?
When I was younger and idealistic, it was tempting to think of [the clash] as our great generational conflict and that I should do what I could to help figure everything out. As I got older and let that purpose go, I stopped trying to convince people of an idea or act as a go-between between where I came from in America and where I was living in Egypt. Now I focus on telling stories. When we read fiction, we want to get outside of ourselves and are able to see from a perspective we haven't seen through before. That can be very powerful.
Alif the Unseen is such a timely novel. You finished it during the Arab spring.
Yes! For the first time, these extremely disparate groups of people were able to talk to each other because of the Internet. It was hard to censor, although many regimes tried. Alif is really just me extrapolating about what I was seeing. In order to get rid of these entrenched dictators, you would need a coalition of very different people—the techies, the youth movement, the secularists, the Islamists—all to get together and say okay, for now, we're going to put aside our differences and make this happen. Nobody thought that was possible because the differences between these groups were so profound. So I asked myself, "What if it did happen? It's already happening online. What if that spilled over into real life?"
What's next?
I just finished a YA series for Marvel Comics called Mystic. It's fantasy with a science-y edge and aimed toward girls. It was nominated for an Eisner Award. I'm also working on another novel set in the age of exploration. I don't want to go into too much detail, but it's based on the [pre-Columbian] Andalusian-American contact theory. There's a character from Alif in it who was a fan favorite of the book's early readers.
Oh! Is it Vikram?


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Continuing my attempt to transition my family tree from Reunion to FTM for Mac, I wanted to discuss FTM's handling of image listed in the GEDCOM file.
So first, I like the fact that FTM has a Media tab where you can view all images in your family tree file. That is something I've wanted from Reunion for a long time. That said, it seems FTM's handling of the imported images is a bit sub-par. For starters, even though it has the correct path for each image file, it can't seem to find them. Reunion exports the standard Mac (and UNIX) file path to each image, which in my case begins with a tilde (~) indicating that the file is in a sub-folder of my home folder. FTM doesn't seem to know what that means. It lets you either search manually for the file or have FTM search for it. Either option works, but it would take forever for me to do this for each image.
Reunion has one very nice feature when a file goes missing (like if you move it to a different folder) where it lets you find the new location, and then it looks at all the other images that were in the same folder and updates them as well. This is a big timesaver and something FTM should emulate. THis in combination with the Media view that FTM offers would make a large task like changing all the image locations much easier to manage.
Truth be told, however, this task shouldn't be needed at all by FTM – if it understood file paths properly this wouldn't be an issue.
Taking a look at the GEDCOM file itself I can see that Reunion does something very nice – it exports the image cropping information. Frequently when using an image for a specific person you crop the image so it only shows that person. This is particularly true for the 'primary' image that one uses to represent the person in the tree. One can also use one group photo to crop out individual face shots of many different people. Showing the full image in a small window where you only want the head would be fairly useless. It's not clear to me if the _CROP tag that Reunion uses is part of the GEDCOM standard or some kind of generally agreed-upon way to share that information, but it seems to me that FTM ignores the information. Worse, and the likely reason, I can't figure out any way to crop photos in FTM at all.
I have a lot of complaints about Reunion's handling of media. I think it should offer to keep a library of thumbnails or even web-resolution images itself, so that it doesn't need to spend so much time doing image conversion when doing things like creating a web site based on your tree. I think it needs a central media view where you can manage all the images in your tree and make sure all the files can be located, etc. I think some integration with iPhoto would be nice. I think being able to tag photos with information on the people in them and the location information would be incredibly useful. Even with all of these complaints, FTM seems surprisingly inadequate when compared to Reunion in this area.


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Oklahoma legalForms, documents, and legal advice |
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Hi, I'm Anthony Richardson and I am a leading international professional voice over artist, based in the United Kingdom. I specialise in cost effective, Received Pronunciation (accent-free), voice overs for film, television and radio. I also provide character voices for animation projects, narration for audio books and 'on-hold' messaging for telephone systems.
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A compilation of voice over clips from the Animation & Comedy, Audio Books & Narration and Corporate & Commercial reels. Includes Microsoft and Bill Gates introduction, various celebrity impersonations, animation and cartoon character voices, radio imaging, talking signs, radio and TV commercials.


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Angel TalesSynopsisEnter our protagonist. Luckless in love, he scoffs when told by a fortuneteller that his luck is about to change. But when he gets home, he is surprised to find a girl waiting for him. And then another shows up. And yet another. But these girls are not exactly the "girl next door" that you'd expect. You see, the one thing our hero was even more luckless in than love is pet rearing. That's right, these twelve girls are his guardian angels - the spirits of his lost pets. They have returned to care for him and give him eternal happiness. Commence silliness. ReviewHyuh. I couldn't possibly make up a more farcical-seeming set-up for a dating simulation harem show, but here it is. We have a guy who takes the reincarnations of his dead pets (all female, natch!) on dates. This has got to be a joke. Right? Well, it isn't. But first, let me give you some back-story. The only reason I even bothered to watch this title was because my sister-in-law (a cosplayer of some notoriety) swears by it. I take that as a challenge, since my sister-in-law's tastes seem to consistently run counter to mine. If she likes it, then I think it's utter crap, and vice versa. What's Michael, Those Who Hunt Elves, Eat-Man, Mouse ... the list goes on. So it was with extreme trepidation that I queued up that first episode of Angel's Tail (now licensed by Bandai as Angel Tales) onto WinAmp. The first three or so episodes seemed to confirm my worst fears ... from the so-cute-as-to-be-annoying opening song to the obvious hair designs alluding to the girls' former lives as animals, to the whole dippy-ass concept ... it was bad. So that's it, end of story, right? Nope. For some bizarre reason, I found myself enjoying the show more than mocking it, and by the time I'd gotten halfway through, Angel Tales started to look salvageable. Not the greatest thing since sliced bread (or even Love Hina), but definitely this side of watchable. Where does this sort of modest success, this victory from the jaws of defeat come from? First off, a few of the characters are actually really cool, particularly the hamster girl and the bunny girl. Thankfully, they are reincarnated as humans (despite the wonky hair, these girls are not furries, and thank goodness!) The character designs are reasonably cute, after all, and the nice thing here is that all these girls are so convinced they're not in a sucky anime, that you want to believe them! The voice actresses' enthusiasm is infectious, much more like the chipper Hand Maid May than the ennui-ridden Sister Princess. And while the lead is hopelessly stereotypical, it's easy to manage to look the other way when he says something stupendously obvious. Inasmuch as the animation is concerned ... you can't ask too much from the animators, since this isn't an action show, so it's about average for the genre. Not bad, but not great. The music is bouncy, perky, and barely tolerable to most Western ears, but after a while, I was able to sit through it without gagging, which I guess is a good thing. (I even caught myself humming the opening, which probably isn't a good thing.) What surprised me was the transformation of one of the show's weaknesses (its horrible concept) into one of its strengths. While all of the "pets" died tragic deaths, our protagonist helps their current incarnations get over those traumas in a way that is actually very sweet and sensitive. It's not always slapstick and cheap jokes (granted, there's a bit of that, too), and there's more than just the "I want to date the protagonist" impetus here. I was fully prepared to grab the pan for what I thought would be a true turkey, but Angel's Tail surprised me by being more enjoyable than mockable. Despite its woefully stupid premise, this show manages to elicit more smiles than groans thanks to its judicious use of the Power of Cute. I wouldn't call it great or even good, but Angel Tales deserves a look, as long as you follow this genre and are willing to overlook the glaring strangeness of the setup. Surprisingly decent series that overcomes a nearly insurmountable deficit in concept and writing quality and gets at least halfway good. Those who don't care for harem shows or moe type products can take this down one to two stars and give it a skip. — Carlos/Giancarla Ross Recommended Audience: No nudity, and thankfully low amounts of fan service. The most intense moments in this show come from the girls facing their fears of what killed them in their previous lives, and it's often _not_ played for laughs, which is a nice change. Fine for older children and above. Version(s) Viewed: digital source Review Status: Partial (6/12) Angel Tales © 2001 Wonderfarm / Tenshi no Shippo Project / Tokyo Kids / Ochi Kazuhiro |
© 1996-2015 THEM Anime Reviews. All rights reserved. |


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Well, lookie here. Mr. Tom Thumb decided to make an appearance. "What better occasion than for the unveiling of Easter Egg Nails?" He told me.
(Don't tell him, but he's kind of a hot head, thinking that he's better than the other fingers just because he's bigger. And he keeps talking about how without him, humans wouldn't be able to brag about having opposable thumbs…or play an octave on the piano with one hand. *Pfft*)
Today I'm going to show you how this Easter nail design is very easy to do. I'll walk you through it step-by-step with written instructions as well as photos so you can see the process and not just the end result.
Easter Egg Nail Art Swatches
All swatches have:
- Seche Clear Crystal Clear Base Coat
- Eggs:
- Orly Spark (yellow)
- OPI Lucky Lucky Lavender (pink)
- OPI Do You Lilac It? (purple)
- China Glaze For Audrey (teal)
- OPI Gargantuan Green Grape (green)
- L.A. Colors Art Deco Nail Art Lacquer White (white)
- Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat
Flash Photos
Natural Light Photos
*~* Easter Egg Nail Art Tutorial *~*
What I Used:
- Seche Clear Crystal Clear Base Coat
- Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat
- Orly Spark
- OPI Lucky Lucky Lavender
- Do You Lilac It?
- China Glaze For Audrey
- OPI Gargantuan Green Grape
- L.A. Colors Art Deco Nail Art Lacquer White
- Piece of foil
- ASP/All Season Professional Nail Art Brush
- Daniel Stone Nail Art Tool #5
Step 1: Apply a Base Coat
This is really important to protect your natural nails from getting stained. And if you're using a colour that unfortunately stained your nails in the past, consider applying two layers of base coat underneath to prevent it from doing it again.
Step 2: Paint Each Egg's Base Colour
Okay, not everyone has a polish 'problem' (hehe, note the quotation marks) like I do. If you don't have many colours to work with, it's okay. You can use just two colours and alternate the hue for each nail.
But, if you have a generous palette to work with, I suggest using 5 different colours that you think will look nice together. The more colours you use, the more you can play around with making each egg look different.
Wait about 5-8 minutes before proceeding to the next step. This is just so your base polish has some time to dry a little. (Note: You don't need it to be completely dry at this point.)
Step 3: Draw the Zig-zag & Horizontal Lines on Each Egg
Now's the fun part! 🙂
Put a few drops of polish onto your piece of foil, which you'll be using as a palette. Then, dip your striper brush into it. Take your time to carefully add zig-zag and horizontal lines for each egg.
For my nails, I did zig-zag lines on my thumb, index, and ring fingers, and horizontal lines on my thumb, middle, and pinkie fingers. I also used 2 lines per nail, except for my thumb, which has 3 lines since I had more space to work with.
Feel free to go where your imagination takes you! 🙂 While I'm flattered if you choose to recreate this look, don't be afraid to experiment outside the box and add both zig-zag and horizontal lines on each nail…or even adding more than 2 lines per nail.
Tip #1:
I used a single nail-art striper brush to create all the lines. I suggest painting on the lines with the lightest-coloured polish first (e.g. yellow), and then work your way to the darker shades (e.g. purple). In between colour changes, just wipe your brush onto a piece of paper towel. This will help minimize any colour bleeding.
Tip #2:
To achieve opacity, you may need to retrace over your lines more than once. Also, to get more-even lines, I found that it's the easiest to work from the left edge to the middle, and then dip your brush to get more polish before drawing the other side of the line from the right edge to the middle. After that, you add more polish on top to even things out. This technique is way better than trying to draw the complete line (left to right) all in one shot.
Tip #3:
Not everyone has a steady hand. I sure don't – my hands are movers and shakers. 😉 I've found that it helps to firmly plant your painted hand on a table and then rest part of your working hand on the table, too. This will reduce any extra shaking.
Step 4: Add the Dots
Put some polish onto your piece of foil, dip your dotting tool into it, and get dotty! 😉
I liked to add my lines first so that I had a better idea of the spacing for each nail. However, if you wanted to add dots and lines in the same step, that's up to you.
This is the crucial part: Make sure that you wait about 20 minutes or more to allow all this to dry a bit. The dots and lines will be thick pools of polish, and if you jump the gun and slick on a top coat too soon, you'll smear your design badly no matter what top coat you use.
I waited 30 minutes to be on the safe side. And then when I put my quick-dry top coat on, I made sure to add it very delicately. You basically want the bead of top coat to touch your nail without pushing the polish brush onto your nail. If you use a light hand, you further minimize the risk of smearing your design.
Step 5: Apply Your Top Coat
Hope you enjoyed this simple little Easter egg nail-art tutorial! 🙂 It's not hard to do, but you just need to take your time and not rush. Even if you've never done any freehand nail art, give it a chance, and you'll surprise yourself. (You won't surprise me, though, because I know that you can do it!) 😀
If you do give this a go, or even if you want to share your Easter manicures with me and other readers, please feel free to post it on Swatch And Learn's Facebook wall! (I love seeing what my readers can come up with – it's very inspiring!)
Do you celebrate Easter? What spring manicure will you be sporting? What's your favourite Easter candy? (I love the Cadbury Creme Eggs!)
Edit: Yay! Orly favourited my tweet about this post. I'm extremely flattered! 😀


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Developing Countries' Experience with Neoliberalism and Globalisation
This study analysis developing country' experiences of the last three decades after many of these countries had adopted neoliberal economic policies. An attempt is being made to study their achievements in terms of reducing poverty and unemployment. Also explores neoliberalism and globalisation and its impact on the process and development of democracy in developing countries in the present framework of global capitalism.
I find that despite the disastrous experiences of neoliberal polices, especially in Latin American and African countries, still the international institutions are imposing these policies on the developing countries. It seems that little lesson has been learned from the past. There is a gap in the literature regarding the critical analysis of these polices. In recent years a number of Latin American countries have abandoned neoliberalism and adopted polices to be suitable to their national interests rather than foreign capital. I intend to examine these developments in details. We will briefly analyse the international financial institutions policies such as IMF and World Bank and their close co-operation with World Trade Organisation (WTO).
Neoliberal versions of the 'globalisation' thesis are challenged, and it is argued that national-level economic process remains central and that the international economy is far from ungovernable. The study also examines India's recent experiences of neoliberal policies, while in contrast to that Ecuador's attempt to opt out of neoliberal policies and chart out new economic policies aimed towards more national economic control of resources and with active state intervention in favour of under privileged classes in the country.
Full Text:
PDFDOI: https://doi.org/10.5296/rae.v4i4.2878
Copyright (c) 2012 Kalim Siddiqui
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Research in Applied Economics ISSN 1948-5433
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Learning About the Wines of Georgia
I recently attended a tasting of wines from Georgia (the country, not the US state) and discovered there was much more I did not know about the world of wine! Traditionally made Georgian wines are unique, and if you've never had wines fermented in a qvevri, these wines would be completely unexpected for you. Most of the wines produced in Georgia are typically home winemakers who have been making wine for decades. There's no terroir codification and commercialization began pretty recently.
Just look at the colors, for instance:
Qvevri is an unlined terracotta vessel. They are buried in the ground and is cleaned after each vinification cycle. Since the vessel is unlined, there is air exchange happening through the pores of the terracotta throughout the fermentation. Prior to 2003, there was no commercially produced wine that uses qvevri, but then some producers decided to preserve the tradition.
Our wine tasting was led by Taylor Parsons, the sommelier from Republique in Los Angeles.
The first two wines I tasted were two Rkatsiteli from Niki Antadze. Niki Antadze is a tiny wine producer, with 3 hectares of vineyard in the Manavi, Kakheti regions. The Rkatsiteli is one of the main white grape varietals in Georgia.
Both Rkatsiteli were fermented in qvevri but without and with skin contact. You can see the colors are strikingly unique too.
The Rkatsiteli fermented in qvevri with no skin contact smells like beer (think honey ale) and yeasty. It had a beautiful acidity but it reminded me more of sour beers than wine! It was very unique. The one with skin contact also included some whole bunch clusters (stems added). It was fermented in qvevri for six months. It had some notes of honey syrup and tea, walnuts, more tannin. Good for fatty food.
Here are some more of my favorite wines we tasted that day:
Pheasant's Tears 2015 Tsolikouri from Imereti region.
Pheasant's Tears was started by an American who moved to Russia and then Georgia to study painting, but he ended up starting this winery in Georgia. This is one of the most important wineries in Georgia and he tries to connect Georgian wine makers with the outside world. Very interesting nose. Fermented acid but more clean and crisp than the others. Bee pollen. Woolly texture (like Chenin), a little bit of tannin.
Orgo 2013 Kisi from Kakheti.
Orgo is a small artisan winery in Kakheti and the Kisi uses grapes from 50-year-old vines. This wine has been fermented in qvevri for six months with skin contact using all native yeast. One of the cleaner skin-contact wines. Orgo uses very traditional tools but has excellent techniques. I loved the aroma of this wine.
Kindzmarauli 2014 Saperavi from Kakheti.
This is an off-dry/demi-sec wine. Demi-sec wines are in fact a big part of the wine production in Georgia - these are exported to China and Taiwan (it did occur to me that my mom would like it since it's sweet). It's pretty well-balanced for a demi-sec and is good to pair with bitter flavors.
Our Wine 2014 Rkatsiteli from Kakheti.
This was more clean-tasting, and pine-y but it had a very intense smoke and earthiness on the notes. You can taste the old vines. There are still tannins but you also get more fruitiness.
Orgo also makes a Saperavi that is aged in qvevri but then stabilized in stainless steel after. There are also a number of major European-style wine producers, such as Tbilvino, which makes 80 different wines - many aged tanks and oak barrels. The European-style wines still use the native grapes, so they are very good wines (for what most of the world is used to drinking) with its own special characteristics.
Next time you want to be adventurous with your wine choices, try a glass or bottle of Georgian wine. Start off gently with a European-style wine then move to the ones aged in qvevri!
The wine tasting was held at Puritan & Co and I just wanted to give them a shout out for keeping us fed with excellent food! I always love dining at Puritan and Co, and this time was no different. The lamb chops were excellent.


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John Kerry Urges Netanyahu and Abbas To Work for Peace
Secretary of State John Kerry stressed his commitment to promoting Israeli-Palestinian peace on Sunday in telephone calls to the leaders of both sides, the State Department said.
In separate conversations, Kerry, who took over as the top U.S. diplomat from Hillary Clinton on Friday, spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
"Turning to Middle East peace, the secretary underscored his personal commitment and that of President (Barack) Obama to support Israel's security and to pursue a lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians." State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said of Kerry's conversation with Netanyahu.
A spokesman for the Israeli prime minister confirmed that the call took place but provided no details.
Netanyahu assumed the responsibility on Saturday of forming a new Israeli government following the Jan. 22 election in which his rightist Likud-Beitenu lost ground but still emerged as the biggest party, with 31 seats in the 120-seat Israeli parliament.
His new government is expected to include a new centrist party headed by former TV personality Yair Lapid, which with 19 seats is the second-largest party in parliament, and the 12-seat far-right pro-settler Bayit Yehudi.
The success of the centrists in the election is expected to improve the outlook for Israeli-Palestinian peace. Formal talks broke down in 2010 over Israel's continued building of Jewish settlements on land the Palestinians want for a state.
Since then each side has taken steps that have antagonized the other.
The U.N. General assembly on Nov. 29 overwhelmingly upgraded the Palestinians status to that of "non-member state," prompting Israel to retaliate by withholding tax revenues owed to them as well as by announcing fresh plans for settlement construction.
However, Israeli officials said last week that they would release about $100 million in withheld tax revenues, a move that Kerry "commended … as an important step" in his conversation with Netanyahu, the State Department said, adding that their discussion also covered Iran and Syria.
In his call to Abbas, Kerry, former chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, reiterated his commitment to peace and promised to keep working with Congress to release budget support funds for the Palestinian Authority.
An Abbas aide told Reuters that Kerry told Abbas he was determined to facilitate the restart of stalled peace between the parties and that he hoped to be able to meet him soon, although no time or venue was set.
Nuland said Kerry spoke on Saturday to Israeli President Shimon Peres, who holds a largely ceremonial position. She declined all comment on when Kerry might travel to the region.
"The two men held a lengthy conversation on Saturday night and Peres said that the results of the recent general election could open a window for renewed peace talks," a Peres spokeswoman said in a statement.
Netanyahu, who has been asked by Peres to form a new coalition, said on Saturday that renewing talks with Abbas would be a top priority for his new government.
"The next government that I will form will be committed to peace. I call on Abut Mazen (Abbas) to return to the negotiating table. Every day that passes without us talking to jointly find a way to create peace for our peoples is a day wasted," he said.
Separately, the State Department spokeswoman said Kerry spoke on Sunday to Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan. Kerry spoke on Saturday to the foreign ministers of Turkey, Canada and Mexico.


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Expressionism is an early 20th century style of art that is charged with an emotional or spiritual vision. It is an artistic movement centered in Germany.
'Davos under Snow', 1923 (oil on canvas)
Expressionism is a term that embraces an early 20th century style of art, music and literature that is charged with an emotional and spiritual vision of the world.
The Roots of Expressionism
'Crucifixion Panel from the Isenheim Altarpiece ', 1515 (oil on wood)
Expressionism is associated with Northern Europe in general and Germany in particular. The Expressionist spirit has always existed in the German psyche. Its embryonic forms can be recognized in the physical and spiritual suffering depicted in Grünewald's 'Crucifixion' and in the tortured vision of Martin Schongauer's engraving of 'The Temptation of Saint Anthony'.
'The Temptation of Saint Anthony' circa.1480 (engraving on copper)
At the end of the 19th century, this Expressionist spirit resurfaced in the paintings of two awkward and isolated personalities – one was the Dutchman, Vincent Van Gogh and the other a Norwegian, Edvard Munch. While the Impressionists were admiring the color and beauty of the natural landscape, Van Gogh and Munch took a radically different perspective. They chose to look inwards to discover a form of 'self-expression' that offered them an individual voice in a world that they perceived as both insecure and hostile. It was this more subjective search for a personal emotional truth that drove them on and ultimately paved the way for the Expressionist art forms of the 20th century that explored the inner landscape of the soul.
'Sunflowers', 1888 (oil on canvas)
Paintings like Van Gogh's 'Sunflowers' (1888) opened our eyes to the intensity of expressive color. He used color to express his feelings about a subject, rather than to simply describe it. In a letter to his brother Theo he explained, 'Instead of trying to reproduce exactly what I see before my eyes, I use color more arbitrarily to express myself forcibly.' His heightened vision helped to liberated color as an emotional instrument in the repertoire of 20th century art and the vitality of his brushwork became a key influence in the development of both the Fauves' and the Expressionists' painting technique.
Edvard Munch's painting of 'The Scream' (1893) was equally influential. It provides us with a psychological blueprint for Expressionist art: distorted shapes and exaggerated colors that amplify a sense of anxiety and alienation. 'The Scream' is Munch's own voice crying in the wilderness, a prophetic voice that declares the Expressionist message, fifteen years before the term was invented. "I was walking along the road with two friends. The sun set. I felt a tinge of melancholy. Suddenly the sky became a bloody red. I stopped, leaned against the railing, dead tired. And I looked at the flaming clouds that hung like blood and a sword over the blue-black fjord and city. My friends walked on. I stood there, trembling with fright. And I felt a loud, unending scream piercing nature."
'Madchen aus Kowno', 1918 (woodcut)
Die Brücke was founded in Dresden in 1905 by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner (1880-1938) , Karl Schmidt-Rottluff (1884-1976), Erich Heckel (1883-1970) and Fritz Bleyl (1880-1966). The meaning of the name suggested they would build Die Brücke (the bridge) from the great German artistic past of Dürer and Grunewald over the contemporary artistic bourgeoisie to a new and better future. They even wrote a manifesto which Kirchner carved in wood proclaiming, 'Putting our faith in a new generation of creators and art lovers, we call upon all youth to unite. And being youth, the bearers of the future, we want to wrest from the comfortably established older generation freedom to live and move. Anyone who directly and honestly reproduces that force which impels him to create belongs to us.'
The members of Die Brücke adopted a bohemian lifestyle and lived as an artistic community in a working class district of Dresden, deliberately isolating themselves from the 'comfortably established'. They believed that artists should have total freedom of expression, unrestricted by social or artistic conventions.
Like many artistic movements they looked back to move forward. Gothic art, which had both a German lineage and an appropriately dark temperament, became Die Brücke 's natural inspiration. Its jagged forms were easily fused with the primal visual vocabulary of the African and Oceanic art that they had discovered in the Ethnographic Museum in Dresden.
The main artistic form that emerged from this fusion of styles was the woodcut. The woodcut had been a traditional German print medium for narrative illustration. When fused with the vocabulary of 'primitive' art, the medium became a powerful tool for personal expression. A modern alterative to this traditional technique was the linocut, a medium invented by Die Brücke.
'Crucifixion', 1912 (oil on canvas)
The Die Brücke manifesto was an open invitation to other artists with similar values to join the group. Emil Nolde (1867-1956), whose painting was following a similar path to Die Brücke, joined in 1906. However, Nolde only remained a member for a few months as the community lifestyle did not live up to his expectations. He was older and had a more conservative nature than the young Die Brücke activists.
Nolde's favourite subjects were dark brooding seascapes that recalled the landscape of his youth and biblical themes that reflected his strict religious upbringing. He was fascinated by the expressive intensity of the Isenheim Altarpiece and created his own version: a nine section polyptych of the life of Christ. His central 'Crucifixion' panel, obviously based on Grünewald's masterpiece, is a classic piece Expressionist painting - a stylistic fusion of primitive drawing with the exaggerated color of the Fauves, held together by a German Gothic composition.
Der Blaue Reiter (The Blue Rider)
'Girls Under Trees', 1914 (oil on canvas)
Der Blaue Reiter (The Blue Rider) was not exactly an Expressionist group, more a meeting of diverse talents with Expressionist sympathies who contributed to the publication of an almanac 'Der Blaue Reiter' and two exhibitions of the same name.
Der Blaue Reiter (the almanac) was published in May 1912 by Wassily Kandinsky and Franz Marc. The title was taken from a drawing of a blue horseman that was used for the cover of the almanac. Kandinsky stated, 'We both loved blue: Marc - horses, myself - riders. So the name invented itself.'
While Die Brücke artists adopted 'primitive' art as a raw style that would subvert the traditions of the establishment, Der Blaue Reiter artists were attracted by the more mystical aspects of the style, particularly its relationship with the spiritual and supernatural. Primitive art had a certain purity that set it apart from the materialism and corruption of the time - 'a bridge into the world of the spirit' as Marc put it.
Der Blaue Reiter exhibitions took place in Munich and preceded the publication of the almanac. The first, an exhibition of paintings by Kandinsky, Marc, Auguste Macke and some others, took place in December 1911, and the second, a graphics exhibition which included a wider range of artists from further afield, opened in the spring of 1912.
The aim of Der Blaue Reiter exhibitions was to highlight the similarities in different approaches to creating art, for example, finding common ground between the primitive and the contemporary. They outlined this objective in the catalogue for the first exhibition, 'We do not seek to propagate any precise or particular form; our object is to show, in the variety of the forms represented, how the inner desire of artists realises itself in multiple fashion.'
Der Blaue Reiter came to an end after the deaths of Franz Marc and Auguste Macke during World War 1.
Expressive Abstraction
'Composition IV', 1911 (oil on canvas)
Wassily Kandinsky's painting was moving away from the depiction of realistic forms into the more spiritual realms of abstraction. Since childhood he had studied music, playing both the piano and cello. He also had a highly developed sense of synaesthetic response (experiencing colors in response to hearing sounds) and he recognized that color could trigger our emotions much in the same way as music touches our soul. This link between the visual and the aural inspired his experiments with color as an abstract element for the subject of a painting. The idea was reinforced by a chance experience in 1908, 'I was returning, immersed in thought from my sketching, when on opening the studio door I was suddenly confronted by a picture of incandescent beauty. Bewildered, I stopped and stared at it. The painting lacked all subject, depicted no identifiable object and was entirely composed of bright color patches. Finally, I approached closer and saw it for what it really was - my own painting, standing on its side on the easel.....One thing became clear to me: that objectiveness, the depiction of objects, needed no place in my paintings, and was indeed harmful to them.'
In his publication, of 1911, 'Concerning the Spiritual in Art' he states that 'Color cannot stand alone; it cannot dispense with boundaries of some kind ........A never-ending extent of red can only be seen in the mind; when the word red is heard, the color is evoked without definite boundaries.'
His paintings of this period are attempts to release this psychic quality of color by freeing it from the task of describing physical objects. In moving towards abstraction by breaking down the boundaries of realistic forms, Kandinsky tries to tap into the more expressive power of color as it exists in the mind. Although, as in the musically and abstractly titled 'Composition IV', there are still vague references to figures and objects in the landscape, color emerges as an ephemeral force that energizes the entire canvas.
Kandinsky was the first artist to push painting towards total abstraction. He is quoted as saying, "Of all the arts, abstract painting is the most difficult. It demands that you know how to draw well, that you have a heightened sensitivity for composition and for colors, and that you be a true poet. This last is essential."
'Ad Parnassum', 1932 (oil on board)
Paul Klee, a Swiss artist, took part in the second Der Blaue Reiter exhibition. Through the influence of Kandinsky, Marc and Macke, Klee became interested in the abstract use of color. Klee, like Kandinsky was a talented musician and the relationship between art and music was a driving force in his art. His painting 'Ad Parnassum' (1932) illustrates this link between the arts.
The title 'Ad Parnassum' (towards Parnassus) refers to both Mount Parnassus (the home of the Muses - the nine goddesses of the arts in Greek mythology) and 'Gradus Ad Parnassum' (the Path to Parnassus - the name of a classic 18th century textbook on musical counterpoint). The bold triangle at the top of the picture represents Mount Parnassus, the orange circle symbolizes the sun and the arch at the bottom indicates the door to the temple. The most important element of this painting is the way that Klee uses color to express a musical idea. The underpainted patches of background colors are like the deep base chords of a musical composition while the brighter mosaic-like surface of dots act like a counterpoint to complete the harmony.
Beyond Expressionism
'The Departure', 1932-33 (triptych - oil on canvas)
After the disintegration of the more formal Expressionist groups in Germany, Expressionism continued to evolve in a variety of ways through the work of individual artists like Paul Klee and Max Beckmann. The Expressionist spirit resurfaced in art across the world throughout the 20th century: Francis Bacon in Britain, the Abstract Expressionists in the USA and eventually returning to Germany in the form of Anselm Kiefer in the last quarter of the century.
Max Beckman continued Die Brücke's spirit of protest and relationship with the art of the past in his disturbing allegories of victimization and alienation. These powerful images, triggered by his traumatic experiences of the trenches in the medical corps during WW1, often used the religious format of a triptych for their composition, recalling Renaissance art like the Isenheim Altarpiece.
'Study after Velazquez's Portrait of Pope Innocent X', 1953 (oil on canvas)
Francis Bacon, the British painter, also used the triptych format in his convulsive images of post-war angst and abandonment. While personally denying any Expressionist influence in his art, his electrifying version of 'Pope Innocent X', (again recalling the art of the past as it was based on the Velázquez painting of 1650), reinvents the original Expressionist prototype: 'The Scream' by Edvard Munch.
Expressionism Notes
'Nollendorfplatz', 1912(oil on canvas)
The 'self expression' in the art of Vincent Van Gogh and Edvard Munch inspired Expressionist artists in the 20th century.
German Expressionism also drew inspiration from Fauvism, German Gothic and 'primitive art'.
German Expressionism was divided into two factions: Die Brücke and Der Blaue Reiter
Die Brücke (The Bridge) was an artistic community of young Expressionist artists in Dresden. Their aim was to overthrow the conservative traditions of German art. Their 'bridge' was the path to a new and better future for German art.
Der Blaue Reiter was a publication of essays on the Expressionist art forms. The aim of Der Blaue Reiter exhibitions was to find the common creative ground between these diverse art forms.
After the various Expressionist groups disbanded, Expressionism spread and evolved in the work of many individual artists across the world.


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Faika Shaaban developed an itchy rash the day she moved into an Annapolis apartment in the fall of 2011.
The hundreds of bites, the lesions and the resulting scarring were from bedbugs. She had no idea that she'd rented an apartment whose landlord had been notified of a potential bedbug infestation only weeks earlier, according to her lawsuit against the landlord.
An Anne Arundel County jury awarded the 69-year-old woman $800,000 this week, an amount that lawyers familiar with such cases said was the highest they have seen. Most of that — $650,000 — was in punitive damages, more than she had sought.
The case highlights the growth in bedbug lawsuits nationwide. And it demonstrates the ire of jurors not only over the insects but also over landlords who they feel didn't deal with a known infestation, said Shaaban's attorney, Daniel W. Whitney of Towson.
"She lost practically everything due to this," he said.
He said it was the jury's "opportunity to send a message to the community, to landlords, that you must abate it."
The defendant, landlord Cornelius J. Barrett and West Street Partnership, which owns the property and of which Barrett is a general partner, did not respond to the lawsuit, according to Whitney and court records. He could not be reached to comment.
In a 2002 case, a jury awarded $382,000 to a brother and sister who said they were besieged by bedbugs at a Motel 6 in Chicago when they stayed in a room that management knew was infested.
Whitney has more than 75 bedbug cases, nearly all in Maryland, and said he's turned away hundreds of potential bedbug clients in the past two-and-a-half years.
"You are going to see a rapid growth of bedbug claims over the next decade. There are enough lawyers who are getting trained so that people will be able to find lawyers, so that people will find a way to get relief," said lawyer Tom Campbell of Birmingham, Ala., who advises other lawyers.
This week's verdict has landlords taking notice.
A landlord doesn't put bedbugs in a unit, yet "the landlord is being faced with the burden of fixing this problem," said Ben Frederick, president of the Property Owners Association of Greater Baltimore.
Landlords are pushing to shift responsibility onto tenants in leases that say that if bedbugs don't turn up before or soon after a tenant moves in, the tenant must pay for extermination.
Greg Countess, assistant director of advocacy at the Maryland Legal Aid Bureau, said he is increasingly seeing leases that give the landlord reason to terminate a lease and evict a tenant if the landlord can prove a tenant brought in bedbugs. Many landlords, he said, push tenants to buy renters' insurance "to protect property that might be lost due to a bedbug infestation."
"The first time, I will come in and spray. If you don't do all the steps we tell you to do, like clean the bed linen and the clothing, then the next spray is on you. Or you live with them," said Sharon Hooper, president of the Carroll County Landlord Association, who said she has her units regularly inspected by pest control companies.
"Most landlords are documenting, 'Here's what we do,'" said Adam Skolnik, executive director of the Maryland Multi-Housing Association. "We have some landlords who are doing pre-inspections of the unit with dogs that are trained to find bedbugs."
In the Shaaban case, the lawsuit alleged that the infestation had not been cleared up when Shaaban rented the apartment at the end of September 2011, and that Barrett, the landlord, did not respond to another tenant's complaints about bedbugs. Annapolis records show Barrett was taking steps in August 2011 to remedy a mice and potential bedbug infestation.
When Shaaban went in April 2012 to Anne Arundel County housing officials for help in finding a new apartment, Whitney said, she was told the rash was from bedbugs. The landlord's effort to deal with the bedbugs worsened the infestation and damaged her personal property, Whitney said.
When Shaaban was evicted, scavengers took her belongings from the curb — despite her short-lived sign advising people not to, Whitney said. "All of these items went into the community infested," he said.
The structure was cited for other violations, and the landlord fined $200. The property went into foreclosure, records show.


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With extremely cold weather forecast for the rest of the week, the University of Wyoming is offering free transportation to help students attend classes on Thursday and Friday.
Between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. on those days, any UW students, whether they live on or off campus, may call 766-5179 to arrange for a ride to and from class. Depending upon the number of calls, students could expect some delays.
"At this point, with only a slight chance for more snowfall, we don't anticipate closing the campus," says Mark Collins, UW's associate vice president for operations. "But we want to make sure students are able to get to their classes without jeopardizing their safety during this cold snap."
UW Transit and Parking Services will increase the number of drivers and vehicles available during the daylight hours Thursday and Friday. In addition, the UW Police Department will have an extra officer on duty to assist in transporting students. Regularly scheduled UW bus routes will be in operation.
The National Weather Service forecasts a low temperature of minus 29 degrees tonight, with a wind chill factor reaching as low as minus 50. Thursday night's forecast calls for a low of minus 23 degrees, with a wind chill as low as minus 35. High temperatures the next two days are expected to be slightly above zero.
More information about cold-weather safety can be found by clicking here and here.


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In 1988, when she was 22 years old, a ceiling fan fell on Su Meck's head. After three weeks in hospitals and rehab facilities, doctors sent her home, saying she'd be back to normal soon. But she wasn't. The head injury knocked out all her memories to that point — including how to hold a spoon, how to read, and her ability to recognize family members. Not realizing how injured she was, Meck returned to her post as homemaker and mother, and slowly — over the last 25 years — she built a new life, knowledge base, and personality. Now a resident of Northampton, Meck is getting ready to graduate from Smith College and just published a book about her experiences, "I Forgot to Remember: A Memoir of Amnesia" (Simon & Schuster), with help from journalist Daniel de Vise.
Q. Was writing this book helpful in learning what happened to you?
A. I understand so much more now. I think everybody should be required to write their memoir during their lifetime, because you'd be amazed at what you learn.
Q. What kind of response have you gotten to the book, published a few weeks ago?
A. The number of e-mails I've gotten from people who are dealing with this is overwhelming. I think there's a lot more [traumatic brain injuries] out there than people realize.
Q. It must have been incredibly challenging for the people around you in those early years.
A. I wasn't actively being a difficult person to live with, but I so was. I forgot things all the time. I asked the same questions over and over again. I got lost occasionally and people would have to drop what they were doing and come find me. I didn't know that I had a deficit, so anytime it was referred to in that way I got all pissed off. I think it was rough for everybody.
Q. You talk a lot in the book about the help you received from your children — two sons who were 8 months and nearly 2 at the time of the accident, and your daughter, who was born five years later.
A. We're sort of all four siblings with each other more than anything. We all kind of grew up together.
Q. Siblings, as if you're all the same age?
A. If you were to ask me how old I feel, I feel early 20s. My life experiences are 20 years, rather than almost 50. The life I know started after the accident. Not right after — it was several years before I have memories of things that happened.
Q. You write that your personality was one of the things profoundly changed by your injury.
A. My parents like to say "We should have hit you on the head a long time ago" My dad says I'm a lot nicer now. I was incredibly stubborn, I was very "Don't tell me what to do."
Q. But the accident turned you — at least at first — into a very different person.
A. I was passive. I did everything [my husband, Jim] said to do without any question. Let's say I'm sitting in the park and the moms are there with their magazines and I can't really read but I'm sitting there with my magazine. The person next to me would turn the page, so I would turn the page — literally mimicking exactly what people around me did and said.
Q. Seven years ago, you decided to go to community college, having no memory of your previous education, or even of basic skills like multiplication. Now, as you're getting ready to graduate from Smith, have you caught up?
A. I don't think I'll ever catch up. I'm not a stellar student by any stretch. I struggle a lot here. I love history and I love reading historical fiction and stuff now, but I don't have the background of history and science and math and things that these girls all have.
Q. Like college seniors everywhere, you must be looking beyond graduation and wondering what's next.
A. I always thought that I would graduate and go to library school and be a librarian. [But] I don't want to go to library school right now. I've had enough of school. I don't think that's all that unusual.
Q. Have you made close friends at Smith even though you're the age of many of their parents?
A. I feel more comfortable with the 20-year-olds than I do the 40- and 50-year-olds sometimes. I feel like I fit better with them than I do people who are my real age.
Q. You're a drummer and music major — do you expect to keep up your music after you graduate?
A. Librarian by day, rock star by night, and author in there somewhere. I've sort of been bitten by the [writing] bug.
Q. What advice do you have for people who've suffered traumatic brain injuries and the family members who care for them?
A. It's a lifetime struggle. I'm sad for people who think they're going to get their old self back in a matter of years. People in the medical community who tell spouses or families that "You just have to give it time and they'll be back to the way they were before" — no. But that's not necessarily going to happen. This is 25 years that I've been at this.
Q. You seem so good-natured, but do you have a sense of loss — are you ever upset about what you missed out on by forgetting so much of your past?
A. My dad always said if you lose your sense of humor you die. I've tried to keep a sense of humor about it, because I think that some of it is funny — some of it is just goofy funny. I didn't know that cat's tails had bones until three years ago. It's embarrassing but it's also very funny. I have to keep things a little bit in perspective, because this is what happened. This is my life. I can't go back and change what happened.
Interview was edited and condensed. Karen Weintraub can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com. Follow her on Twitter @kweintraub.